Purpose of the General Plan

A general plan is intended to announce a future vision for a city and to guide the growth and development of the city. The Foster City General Plan is a comprehensive document that provides policies and guidelines for developing and preserving our community. General Plans typically contain goals, objectives, policies and programs all intended to support the City's desire to develop in a particular manner and to attain the vision announced in the plan. The Foster City General Plan is intended to be a statement of how the citizens of Foster City view their community, how they want it to be in the future, and how they intend to deal with the planning and development issues facing the community.

The General Plan identifies policies and programs that address the development and redevelopment (i.e. Marlin Cove and Port O' Call) of the City, preservation of parks, provision of housing to meet future needs, and improvement of the circulation system within Foster City. The programs and polices are aimed towards addressing the changing needs of the city and to serve as a map for the future that will guide the development and growth in the City.

State Law

Section 65300 et seq. of the California Government Code requires that each planning jurisdiction (i.e. city or county) shall prepare, and the legislative body shall adopt, a comprehensive, long-term, general plan for the physical development of the city. Section 65302 requires that each general plan shall consist of a statement of development policies and shall include a diagram or diagrams and text setting forth objectives, principles, standards and plan proposals.

About the General Plan

The General Plan is a comprehensive document that covers many aspects of the community including development, preservation of the community and safety. The General Plan is a long-term document that is intended to guide the growth of the City over the next ten years.

The Foster City General Plan is divided into five elements. Each element contains background information that has been collected and analyzed to establish goals and policies that are intended to guide development and City actions in a particular manner. Community involvement plays a major role in establishing the goals and policies of the General Plan because the goals and policies reflect the views and concerns of the citizens and attempt to achieve their vision of the City.

General Plan Elements

The Foster City General Plan is divided into five elements: 1) Land Use and Circulation; 2) Housing; 3) Parks, Open Space and Conservation; 4) Noise; and 5) Safety. A description of each element is contained below:

Land Use and Circulation: This element designates the type and general distribution of land for housing, commercial, office and public uses in the City. This element also identifies existing roads and transportation corridors in Foster City. The Land Use and Circulation Element contains goals and policies aimed towards preserving the quality of life in Foster City. Housing: This element is an assessment of current and projected housing needs (as defined by the Association of Bay Area Governments). This element contains policies for protecting the current housing stock and action programs designed to meet the City?s fair share of regional housing needs. State Law requires that cities update the Housing Element every five years and the Housing Element must also be certified by the California Department of Housing and Community Development. Parks, Open, Space and Conservation: This element discusses the conservation of natural resources and preservation of open space. This element contains policies for the preservation of water and air quality and programs to promote the access and use of recreational parks and open space. Noise: This element identifies noise conditions and significant noise generators in the City. This element contains policies to preserve and improve noise conditions within the City and to limit noise impacts of new development. Safety: This element identifies risks that the City could face in the future. These risks include flood, fire and geologic hazards. This element contains policies designed to protect the City from natural disasters and to promote police and fire response to emergencies.

Goals, Policies and Programs

Goals, policies and programs are used to implement the issues identified in each element of the General Plan. Policies and goals are formulated based on the existing conditions in the City and the public?s vision of the future of the City. Public participation, data and information gathered are used to formulate the goals and policies in the General Plan. Policies and programs are established to make the goals a reality for the community. Goals, policies and programs are used to guide the development and growth of the City and are used to achieve the community?s vision of the future. Definitions of goals, policies, and programs are contained below:

• A goal is a general direction-setter used to direct future implementation measures. A goal is a general expression of a community value, as obtained from public input. An example of a goal is "to have a safe community." A goal is not an action, instead it states what the community?s end result is (i.e. a safe community).
• A policy is a specific statement that is used to guide the decision making process. Policies are used to implement the city?s goals. An example of a policy is "provide police services necessary to maintain public safety."
• A program is a specific activity that a department will undertake that is necessary to follow a policy statement and make the community?s vision of the future (a goal) a reality. An example of a program is "provide adequate training for police personnel."

Revision of the General Plan

In order to revise the General Plan, the City of Foster City must first undertake the following steps:

• The planning staff must begin to gather data on the existing conditions in the City and the region (e.g. traffic conditions) and analyze them.
• After the planning staff has evaluated the preliminary data and current conditions, the City must then define the general issues facing the community. The Planning Commission will be holding Workshops and Study Sessions over the next several months to gather information on the current conditions in Foster City and the Bay Area.
• A simultaneous step (along with information gathering) in the planning process is to obtain public input regarding what the community?s needs are and what their vision of the City is in the next ten years. The Planning Commission will be holding three Neighborhood Workshops, a Housing Element Workshop, and workshops with the business community to gather public input for the General Plan Update.
• Public participation, the Planning Commission Study Sessions and data that has been collected will be used to formulate the Draft General Plan, including goals, policies, and programs identified in the General Plan. Public participation is important so that the goals and policies reflect the values and visions of the community.
• The Housing Element of the Foster City General Plan will be adopted prior to the remaining four elements of the General Plan in order to meet the State?s deadline for the Housing Element?s adoption. After a Study Session (public meeting) to review the Draft Housing Element, the Community Development Department will incorporate any changes or suggestions as directed by the Planning Commission or City Council. Once the changes have been incorporated, the Housing Element will be sent to the California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) for review of the element. The California Department of Housing and Community Development may then request that changes be made to the element. After the Community Development Department has incorporated changes that may be requested by the HCD, the Planning Commission and City Council will then hold Public Hearing(s) prior to the adoption of the element.
• The remaining four elements will be adopted after the Housing Element has been adopted by the City Council. The Draft General Plan will be brought before the Planning Commission and City Council for their review prior to adoption. The Community Development Department will then revise the Draft General Plan to incorporate comments and suggestions made by the City Council, Planning Commission, and community. After the changes have been incorporated, the Planning Commission and City Council will hold Public Hearing(s) prior to adoption of the General Plan